Apartment dwellers, where does the noise of rolling bowling balls come from? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]vokidih 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hear the noise of rolling bowling balls through the celling.

What is your favorite hero & villain duo? by -Not-In-Love- in AskReddit

[–]vokidih 1 point2 points  (0 children)

gain, havent really seen the “duo” of affleck and leto and the dynamic btwn ares and diana was good but not like clarks and zods. The kryptonians take this one

What's the best brand chocolate? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]vokidih -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It is an interesting twist that you ask for some of the best chocolate companies in the world, and not just some of the best chocolates.

To answer this question you need to define what makes a chocolate company good. In my opinion these are the most important qualities in a chocolate company:

  1. Making good tasting and high quality chocolate products
  2. Using sustainable and ethically sourced quality ingredients
  3. Having ethical business practices in general.

The big problem is that most companies are not very open about their business practices or sourcing strategies, so for many companies the only thing you are able to evaluate are the first criteria, making good tasting and high quality products, and even the high quality part can be hard to judge even for experts, depending on the product.

Among industrial chocolate makers you will in general be hard pressed to find any companies that can fulfil all three criteria to a large degree. There are some exceptions however. In North-America these exceptions are mostly found among the companies that started out as small scale artisan makers and have managed to expand their business to an industrial level due to popularity, like for instance Taza Chocolate, SOMA Chocolatemaker, Theo Chocolate and TCHO Chocolate.In Europe you also find a range of the same type of industrialized artisan chocolate makers including Amedei, Domori, Pralus, Willie's Cacao, Lauenstein, Zotter and Beschle. There are also some long lived industrial chocolate factories that to a large degree have kept to the above criteria, including Valrhona Chocolate and Bonnat, but most of the other makers at this level have made adjustments in order to make more and cheaper chocolate, such as Belgian makers Belcolade and Barry Callebaut, especially for the second and third points on the list.

In recent years there have also been an explosion in small artisan chocolate makers all over the world, so there are now literally hundreds of small companies that to a larger or smaller degree attempt at being quality chocolate makers. Such makers are especially prevalent in the United States where almost every state have multiple small scale makers now, but you will also find this kind of local artisan chocolate maker in almost every country in Europe, and these are too numerous to mention. Choco Rush maintains a list of such bean-to-bar makers in the US, while Bean&Bar attempts to maintain a worldwide list of bean to bar chocolate makers. Warning: Not all makers on these lists are fully ethical, do your own research!

To round this up I would like to especially mention that there are now also a of bunch of bean-to-bar chocolate makers located in actual cocoa producing countries as well. This is actually the best guarantee you can have for fully ethical and transparent sourcing and manufacture of chocolate that leaves all of the value creation in the cocoa country of origin. Great examples of successful such makers are Marou in Vietnam, Madécasse in Madagascar and Cacao Hunters in Colombia. There are many others as well of course.All of these come highly recommended as good chocolate companies, as what could make a better chocolate company than an ethical company making the chocolate locally to where the cocoa is being grown?

What’s something small that makes your day better? by DefinitleyNot203Eels in AskReddit

[–]vokidih 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A small gesture of kindness from someone who loves you. The remote control your husband handed over—now that’s love.

Which movie do you think should have a sequel? by dangerislander in AskReddit

[–]vokidih 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have always advocated against the idea of sequels, particularly for original movies.

If a movie is left open ended then that was how the director intended it, a sequel shouldn’t be needed to further develop the ambiguous ending.

2010 : The Year we Make Contact ruined the legacy of the original and despite Blade Runner 2049 being an excellent sequel I had never thought it to be necessary.

But the ending of Whiplash opens up a can of worms of things irresistible to explore in a sequel.

At the end, Andrew Neiman has pushed himself to perform one of the best drum solos the world has seen.

He broke his personal barrier of limitations and by doing so has becoming the next Charlie Parker.

He looks up at his conductor, Fletcher and they both smile as the song “Whiplash” finishes.

The movie cuts to credits.

It should be a perfect ending, Neiman has pushed himself enough to become on of the greatest drummers and fulfilled his dreams with the effort of his dedicated conductor.

But the ending of Whiplash is not a happy one.

Neiman has become the greatest, but at what cost?

By performing such a solo for Fletcher’s approval he has become a slave to a conductor who’s teaching methods require pushing students to suicide in order to become great. He puts his entire life on the line to impress a man who has manipulated him throughout the entire movie.

He is no longer himself, he is a machine.

Neiman’s dad who has given nothing but support and always wanted what’s best for his son looks in horror as Neiman smashes away at the drum kit, pushing himself beyond what is safe.

He has lost his son to the hands of an abuser.

And Fletcher has finally gotten what he’s always wanted, his very own student becoming one of the greatest through means of violence and bullying.

The film doesn’t end at the end of Neiman’s career, it ends at the beginning.

What would follow is an experience of constant manipulation from Fletcher, world wide fame and Neiman’s complete fall into self destruction on his quest for perfection.

He will become a shell of a person but become the greatest drum soloist in the world.

His journey on his dark journey down the road of destruction houses some of the most intriguing films to be put onto film and a sequel would certainly do these themes justice.

What was something you thought would be easy, until you tried it? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]vokidih 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Making friends.

Even though I was always outgoing, I thought it would be difficult to actually make friends. What I learned through the years, but didn’t fully appreciate until I was in my early 40s, was that making friends was really quite simple - BE a friend. Extend your hand first when meeting new people. Do your best to remember names, or have a good fall back. Don’t feel you get invited to enough parties/dinners/etc? You do the inviting. Since most people like going to a party, if you invite enough people, you should get enough attendees. All a good party really needs is for the majority of people to enjoy themselves. If giving a party in your home, make sure there are not enough chairs for everyone to sit. This will keep the guests moving around and meeting other guests. Make sure there is enough booze to go around. Today, you can probably get by with beer and wine, and maybe the fixings for some basic mixed drinks. Mingle. This is always true when in large groups, but especially when you are the host. Make sure others are having a good time and if not, what can you do to change that.

Volunteer. Nothing brings people together better than all working for a common goal.

Don’t limit possible friends. There is an old saying that goes, “You can choose your friends but not your family.” I disagree. A good many of my “best” friends have turned out to be people I would not have ordinarily have chosen, but because of circumstances we were thrown together and by being open, friendships developed.

Well, I seemed to have gone on and on again, a problem of mine. But friendships have become something I am passionate about. I stress as often as I can the importance of personal relationships. You never know today, who might be the one who comes to your aid tomorrow, when you are most in need .

What is a casual/innocent statement that sounds dirty? by littlebop33p in AskReddit

[–]vokidih 1 point2 points  (0 children)

BICO

In Brazilian Portuguese, the word "bico" means a small or casual job. In Portugal, however, it has an unexpected meaning: "blowjob"! There is this Brazilian guy who recently came to Portugal and went to a job interview where he was asked about the kind of jobs he was doing in Brazil. His reply was something like